I’ve had some interesting comments and e-mail feedback on my rant about distributed ticketing. Some had attempted some version of the idea before, but had been flummoxed by distrust or neglect by the community’s arts organizations, or inelegance of the technology available. I continue to think there’s a way to hack the system to make […]

”Consumer Generated Media” (or CGM) is the buzzword these days for companies seeking trust, attention, and repeat sales, especially through the Internet. Intelliseek, one service company that’s mining the trend, defines it this way: ”Consumer-Generated Media” (CGM) encompasses the millions of consumer-generated comments, opinions and personal experiences posted in publicly available online sources on a […]

An associate forwarded a link to this AOL feature that lets you measure your social network against anyone else on the system…and determine the ”winner.” Says the FAQ: Using a complicated algorithm, AIM Fight crawls through the depths of the Internet to answer the all-important question that plagues us all: How popular am I right […]

There’s too much fun to be had with the Alanis Morissette Lyric Generator, a virtual ‘Mad Libs’ for the adult-contemporary crowd. Here’s just one generated lyric from my suggested nouns and names: “Will to Live” I feel miserable STRUCTURAL DEFICITS make me ill I feel miserable GRANT GUIDELINES tear at my foundations I feel miserable […]

An interesting BBC News interview/overview with copyright activitist Larry Lessig suggests that the 21st century is bringing a burst of amateur culture and creativity. Says Lessig: ”Digital tools are inspiring creativity in a way that I do not think we have seen in a very long time….If you think of the 20th Century as this […]

The folks over at CPANDA (Cultural Policy & the Arts National Data Archive…when you discuss it at cocktail parties, the acronym is pronounced ‘see’-‘panda’) have redesigned their web site in an effort to make arts and cultural research more engaging for a wider world. The site still primarily serves as a warehouse for research datasets […]

When I need to take an airline flight, or even resolve an issue with an airline ticket I already bought, there are any number of organizations or individuals I can contact for help. I can call the airline, of course, but I can also browse available fares on the web, I can call a travel […]

There’s a delicate tension in most creative work, between the personal and the universal. An author or artist or performer can explore the most personal of their perspectives, and the result resonates because it speaks for many. In the traditional arts, the audience is often witness to the personal expression…sitting in the dark and watching […]

It was two years ago today that I posted my very first entry to The Artful Manager, with the wonderful support, vision, and advice of ArtsJournal editor Doug McLennan. Here’s what I said I would be talking about: This blog is intended to be an on-line extension of the conversations I’ve been having throughout my […]

More evidence that our public/private balancing act is a little out of whack comes from surburban Detroit, where a school district has decided to sell naming rights to its buildings — including a new elementary school — to plug its faltering budget. The Plymouth-Canton school board voted in June to consider naming rights, faced with […]